


Swinging to your rescue

by Darkwishme



Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), Spider-Woman (Comic)
Genre: Blood, F/F, Fluff, Minor Injuries, Sappy, Serious Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24981091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkwishme/pseuds/Darkwishme
Summary: When Gwen gets injured after a particularly bad fight with Doctor Octopus, who comes to patch her back up? And will Gwen admit that she had feelings for a certain someone?
Relationships: Gwen Stacy/Mary Jane Watson
Comments: 30
Kudos: 216





	1. Chapter 1

Routine was something that everyone got used too, even including the smallest of things. And Gwen would be a liar if she said that she didn’t like her routine. 

Get up early, brush her teeth, eat breakfast before then getting ready and going to school, then hang out with friends like MJ and Peter, go to band practise, go home, eat dinner, go to bed and repeat. Or at least, that was before the ‘incident’. And since then her routine has never been the same. Sure, a lot of it was the same, but things had changed drastically. 

She no longer could hang out with Peter, not after the accident, and now band practise was more often than not swapped with saving the city. But that new habit fitted about anywhere with how often the city was in danger. But Gwen couldn’t ignore the call- much to MJ’s and her bands annoyance... not that they knew. 

Of course they didn’t. 

How could Gwen tell them that all those times she was late or skipped practise and even performances was because the city’s villains didn’t think about cutting her some slack? 

Well... Gwen guessed kinda like that really. But she knew that the others would only laugh at her. Like hell Gwen was Ghost-Spider. 

Not when she was wanted for Peter’s ‘murder’- which she didn’t do. 

There were days that even /Gwen/ disbelieved that. 

Though the one thing that she would like to change about her routine, was the added injuries that often came along with it. 

It was a given that Ghost-Spider could take more than the average hit. The public had seen enough of that to know otherwise. Gwen had been tossed through the air, slammed into brick walls, thrown /around/ and yet she kept. 

Getting. 

Back. 

Up. 

Much to the villains annoyance that is. 

That didn’t mean she didn’t leave without any injuries though- she just knew better than to let the public actually see it. Sometimes she figured it was better for them to believe that she couldn’t get hurt than to actually show them. Was it though? She didn’t know. It was easier for her at least. She didn’t have to worry about any prying questions at least. Plus... the kids still looked up to her despite what the media said. But it did mean that when she did get injured it was harder to treat. 

There had been many times that she had to drag herself through her bedroom window to collapse in her bed. Silent promises that she would be getting up soon made to no one. 

Gwen lost count with how often she had to patch herself up in the dark of her room, staying silent so that her dad didn’t hear. Which was fine when it came to the grazes and bruises (even if the ones on her face and hands would be difficult to hide- but those were the quickest to heal), not so much when it came to the more open wounds. Luckily, there had been only a couple of times where she had to actually close a wound herself. Nothing that required stitches (she didn’t think she could even do that to herself) but there had been that one time she nearly called MJ. 

Gwen would’ve made a shitty excuse- she had been jumped, mugged or just had a bad fall. But she hadn’t, MJ had really torn into her that day for skipping the previous nights band practise again. 

Gwen couldn’t remember much of that night except for the fact that there had been a late night villain attack that had stretched for a few hours until finally Gwen won. And by then it was time for her to get ready for school. She had been so tired that day she had just gone straight home and slept through the night, and MJ’s calls. 

And though Gwen had an absolutely fair reason- she just took it. Promising that she would try to do better and- and she had. She had been able to go to more of the bands practises... even if that left her more exhausted than usual, or if she turned up slightly roughed up no one said anything. 

The small quirks of MJ’s lips when the red head saw her was enough for the blonde. 

She knew that it would eventually catch up with her. That pushing herself so much would cause her to slip up- but she had a routine. And she was doing fine for now...

At least until she wasn’t. 

Again, Gwen didn’t like to show that Ghost-Spider could be hurt or injured. But there was only so much she could actually do before her body broke. And it seemed like today was that day. 

To be honest, Gwen had already been fighting with a disadvantage. She was /exhausted/. Her movements were on the slower side, her reactions not all that thought through and- okay, she didn’t think she was doing too badly against Doctor Octopus. In fact, she was winning... until she wasn’t. As she swung herself up- she noticed two young kids hiding in a nearby alley way, barely poking out and not that noticeable, but with Doctor Octopus’ attacks the building was already weakened. And it seemed like he noticed just where she was looking, a smirk tugged on his lips. 

Her head rung with her spider senses screaming at her that she like be injured, but she didn’t care. 

Gwen was quick enough to change course of action, throwing herself forwards to get to the kids and- 

Her free arm wrapped around them both as she swung herself down the alley way, picking them up and holding them close to herself as she got them to safety. Though that plan was cut short- quite literally. Because the next thing that Gwen knew was that they were dropping several metres, and there was screaming next to her head. Bright blue eyes snapped up under her mask to see the web sling she had been using had been cut, thankfully they weren’t too high up, but it was high enough. With barely a second to react, Gwen clutched the kids closer, curling up around them and-

Her back hit the ground first. 

She tumbled, using her body as a shield for the kids until they came to a gradual stop. 

And by that she meant when her back slammed into a dumpster. Her body slumped for a second, eyes drifting shut until she was pushing herself to move again. Her arms relaxed on the kids as she let them go. Quickly checking them over for any major injuries, and apart from looking slightly roughed up, they were fine. 

“Go, get to safety.” She urged them, to which they eagerly nodded and ran. Gwen watched them go as her head rang once more, though she was unsure if it was her spider senses or the concussion she most likely had. 

The searing pain to her side made her realise that it had been her spider senses. 

Gwen was able to bite back a pained sound as she looked down to see one of Doctor Octopus’ mechanical arms gripping her waist. The cold metal had cut through her suit. As well as her flesh. 

Fuck- that was going to be a pain to clean up. 

It was already hard enough to fight with an open wound, but add the various other ones Gwen received until the end of the fight, then it was near impossible. Thankfully though, she had done it. But she could see the newspapers tomorrow with her picture all over it. 

At some point it had begun to rain, much to her annoyance. 

Grunting, Gwen pressed one hand to her still bleeding side before she was swinging away only to crash land in an empty alley way not that far from MJ’s place. 

Her back pressed against the wall as she sunk to the floor, taking this moment to assess her injuries. 

Her side was obviously fucked up, it would need stitches, her left ankle felt off and she hoped it was a sprain, a couple of her ribs hurt when she breathed, her knuckles felt raw and so did her face. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine that under the mask were various shades of bruises and a bloody nose- the fact she could taste iron on her lips gave her that impression. These would be hard to try and hide let alone sneak back home. 

Maybe she should call MJ? Surely she would understand and- and help? Gwen trusted MJ, and to be honest, she was so tired of hiding this part of herself from the other woman and-

No. 

No she wouldn’t call MJ. 

She /couldn’t/.

So with that, Gwen slowly pushed herself to stand, groaning at the effort (ignoring how her legs shook) though unaware of someone walking past the alley way at the exact same time as she turned to leave it. Her eyes widened under the mask as she came face to face with a very familiar person.


	2. Chapter 2

The last person Gwen expected to see, was actually stood in front of her, that being Mary Jane Watson of course. 

It reminds her of the other Mary Jane Watson in Miles’ universe. How she looked so much older, how she was mourning the loss of Peter-

No, no. Gwen wasn’t going to start spiralling about Peter again. Instead she snaps herself back into focus. 

For a brief second, Gwen panicked over what the taller woman was going to say- especially with Gwen looking the way she was. But then she remembered that she was still in her outfit, which calmed her a little. Though not a lot, especially not when she saw the shocked look on MJ’s face. 

The other woman was dressed appropriately for the dismal weather, a large waterproof coat and an umbrella in one hand. Of course Gwen’s suit did it’s best to keep her dry from the rain, but there was only so much her suit could do, especially with the large rip in the side. Plus- it was starting to get cold. Gwen knew that she needed to get out of the rain. 

“-tiger.” Gwen blinks in surprise when she realises that MJ had been talking to her, that and she had stepped closer to the injured hero. 

“What?” Gwen can’t help how her voice wavers- though she briefly remembers that MJ actually /knows/ her voice. Meaning that she needs to change it, at least a little. “Sorry,” She tries again, voice pitched a little lower. “I didn’t catch what you said.”

MJ just smiles softly at the hero, head tilted and an eyebrow raised. “I said that you don’t look so good, tiger. Need some help?” 

And she does think about the offer, at least for a second before she’s coming to her decision. “No I’m good, thank you though. I should- my place is close by.” God Gwen! Stop rambling. She wasn’t this bad when she was with Miles was she? 

But again at the reminder of Miles she can’t help but compare the two Mary Janes. That Mary Jane was older, Gwen hadn’t been able to get a good look of her face, but she could see the lines in her face, how her eyes didn’t have that light anymore. The same red hair, same pale skin, same freckled face and- it hurt thinking that that Mary Jane’s best friend and lover had been torn away from her. Of course there had been a few close calls and instances when Gwen had wondered how everyone would think about her if they knew who she was. 

Her dad would be furious, risking her life every day, evading the police and- god knows what else. Her other band mates, well she wasn’t too sure but they would then at least understand why she was late most of the times. 

But MJ- this MJ, /her/ MJ.... Gwen didn’t know how she would react. Would she be happy? Upset? Angry? Gwen wasn’t too sure. 

“Are you sure? You seem to spacing out a lot there, tiger.” Once more MJ had taken a cautionary step closer, her worried expression deepening as Gwen struggled to respond. But she can’t help but smile under her mask. ‘Tiger’ was like... A tic almost. MJ didn’t mean to use it so often, it just slipped out. 

In all honesty Gwen found it cute and endearing. 

Even while bleeding out apparently. 

“Huh? Oh yeah I’m fine. You know, light concussion is all.” She does her best to brush off her injuries, going so far to take a step back to then swing herself away. 

But she doesn’t get that far. 

Not when her ankle gives way under her, causing the injured hero to fall- until she’s stopped by MJ gently grabbing her arm. 

“Whoa! Easy tiger! A strong breeze could knock you over.” She pauses. Biting her bottom lip, still holding Gwen up with one hand while the other angles the umbrella over them both to stay dry. “Look, I’m not going to force you to accept my help, but you’re going to end up slamming yourself into a building otherwise.” Gwen debates it again. “It’s only me in my apartment.” Thunder booms over their head and MJ offers a small grin. “It’s dry and warm.” 

And honestly, Gwen wasn’t sure if it was the blood loss, the concussion or the cold working it’s way through her suit- but she nods her head and relaxes a little. 

“Good choice, tiger. Now let’s go before we both get a cold.” Surprisingly, MJ doesn’t loosen her grip on her and instead gently guides her to the apartment building. It’s even more surprising when no one seems to notice that Ghost-Spider was being escorted into the building. The sudden downpour helped usher people passed, that or keeping everyone indoors. Much to Gwen’s relief as well. 

They walk in silence, having to go up the stairs seeing as the lift was out of service (again). Gwen falters briefly but with MJ beside her she doesn’t fall. But the hero does wince when MJ accidentally grips a little too tightly on a bruise. 

“Shit sorry.” The redhead murmurs until finally, they make it to her apartment (one that Gwen had visited many times in her civilian life). “Right uh, lets sit you down.” And with that, Gwen is being helped to sit to a nearby chair. Sitting down, she curses and rests a hand on her injured side. “Stay here, tiger. Let me take this coat off, grab the med kit and then we can look at patching you up yeah?” And before she could actually say anything, MJ was gone. Leaving the other woman to groan weakly and slump back in her seat. This wasn’t going to go well. 

Gwen was so lost in thought that she didn’t realise that MJ was back until she rested a hand on her arm. Causing the blonde to flinch under the mask, almost pulling away from her until she remembered it was only MJ. 

“Sorry about that, my friends always say I can be too quiet for my own good. Now, let’s get you patched up yeah?” MJ’s eyes drifted down to the open gash on her side and then back to the mask, where Gwen knew for a fact that blood had seeped through. “How about, I take a look at your side and you tend to your face?” 

Well, at least she was considerate on Ghost-Spider wanting to keep her identity secret. 

“Yeah, sure.” She mumbles softly. In all honesty she wasn’t really thinking too much, her head felt too light and her thoughts were a jumbled mess- or that was before MJ pressed gauze against her side. 

The sudden pain that seized her caused her to grip at the arm of the chair, the wood creaking a little (and Gwen remembers her super strength) before letting go. Instead now gritting her teeth and fighting the urge the yank herself away from MJ. 

“Holy /fuck/!” Gwen gasps out, her body tense. 

“I know I-” MJ pulls them gauze away to get a better look. “-fuck this is worse than I thought. I’m going to have to bandage you up at least... Stitches at worst. But we’ll do the bandage option first.” Again, Gwen nods and MJ is quickly doing what she said. And once more pain is coursing through her body, barely aware that MJ is doing her best to keep the gauze pressed against the wound while Gwen flinches away. 

Finally- the blood slows and MJ is able to wrap the bandage around a new gauze to hold it firmly in place. 

“There... That ones done.” The redhead sighs and sits back on her knees- Gwen hadn’t noticed that she was on her knees. “I’m going to... Clean up, and you can sort your face out, okay? Give me a shout if you need any help.” MJ reaches out to pat Gwen’s knee before standing and heading to the bathroom. 

She allows herself a second or so to collect her thoughts, working through the lingering pain, before she’s tugging her gloves off to then lift the bottom half of her mask up. Stopping at just under her eyes. Giving her easy access to gently prod at her throbbing nose. Okay, so it didn’t feel broken, but she knew for a fact that it was definitely bruised. The dried blood didn’t make it any better either. Luckily for her though, MJ had left wipes on the nearby table for her to use. 

Gwen was halfway through wiping her face when MJ came back out. The taller woman paused when she saw that Ghost-Spider had half her mask up. Exposing the vaguely familiar pale and heavily freckled skin. 

“Whoa, they really did a number on you huh?” She asked softly, approaching the hero and taking a seat opposite her. “You sure you’re completely okay?”

“Yeah or well, kinda.” Gwen shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve had worse.” 

Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, if the frown on MJ’s face was anything to go by. “Don’t you have any friends that could help you? I mean, surely someone can help patch you together?” 

“Who says I don’t?” Gwen can’t help but bite back. 

“If you did, you wouldn’t have been stood in the alleyway.” MJ reaches out to lift the gauze back to Gwen’s face to wipe away a spot of blood she had missed. 

“..... I’m fine MJ.” Comes her small huff in response. Because she did have a point. But when Gwen turns her gaze away she doesn’t spot the surprised look on the other woman’s face. “You don’t have to worry about me, Doctor Octopus just got lucky is all. I won’t let it happen again.” Gwen tosses the gauze aside, eyes locking on the nearby window that overlooked the busy street below. She would leave that way where she couldn’t bump into anyone else who would only worry. Gwen couldn’t be dealing with that at the moment. 

What didn’t help was that she was kinda of lying to MJ still. 

“I should go.” But as she tries to stand she can’t help but wobble on her feet. A hand moving to rest on the table to help stabilise herself once more. Even MJ had risen to her feet to help the hero. 

“What? So you can undo all my hard work by flinging yourself into a building? No. No way.” The redheads voice is firm, something that Gwen is used to hearing during band practise. “You can take the stairs after resting a little longer.”

“I’m /fine/. I just need some fresh air.” Again her gaze lands on the window. But when MJ sees where Ghost-Spider is looking, and in response MJ walks over to shut the blinds. Shutting out the world as if it would persuade her to rest- and it kind of works. “MJ I need to go. I appreciate what you’ve done, I do. But I can’t just-“

“How do you know my name?” MJ turns, hands on her hips and her gaze steady as she looks back at the injured hero. 

And Gwen just chokes on her words. 

“... What?”


	3. Chapter 3

“… What?” Gwen couldn’t help but repeat. Eyes wide under her mask, fear clawing at the pit of her stomach and- oh god she really messed up this time huh. She hadn’t even realised that she had called MJ by her name until the other woman pointed it out. 

Fuck! 

How could she screw up this badly? 

Maybe she did hit her head a few more times than what she first thought. 

“My name, how do you know it, tiger?” MJ presses, taking a step towards the hero who only took a faltering step back. And at seeing the hero’s unease, MJ thankfully stopped her approach. Instead she raised her hands in what she thought looked like a peaceful way. 

“I-” C’mon Gwen, think! “I… You’re band. I-I’ve seen your band posters around. Looked you guys up.” She stammers out what she hopes is a good response. Really, Gwen is just saying whatever comes to her mind, the headache that she had been able to ignore earlier seemed to be at the front of her mind. Banging at her skull to get her attention, unfortunately though, her attention stayed on the red head in front of her. The very said woman who seemed to look at her with an unreadable expression. 

Which was… Shocking. Gwen liked to think that she could always read MJ, or at least have a rough idea on whatever was running through the redheads mind. Not this time though.

Maybe it was the concussion after all. 

But the unreadable expression is quickly wiped away with a small smile tugging on MJ’s lips now, her head tilted and an eyebrow raised- a coy expression on her face almost. “Oh really? I didn’t know we had you as a fan.” And the way that she says it leaves Gwen breathing shakily in a mixture of relief and- something else? “I would say about you coming to one of our shows,” MJ continues. “but you must be busy, plus our drummer doesn’t really seem to turn up most days.” Gwen winces at that. Guilt leaving her to feel sick. 

She never did like lying to her band mates, least of all MJ, on her whereabouts or why she couldn’t make it on time most days. But there was not a lot that Gwen could do. Unfortunately being a hero didn’t mean she had am exact time schedule on when crime could happen. There was times when Gwen missed out on sleep, missed out on school work and her own social life- yet she wouldn’t change it. If it meant that she could keep people safe and out of harms way, she would do it. She just wished that she could tell her friends what was going on. 

Especially now. 

“Oh really? That uh… That must suck?” Gwen tries. Her shoulders relaxing despite barely keeping herself steady on her own feet. But as she relaxed her body, so did her voice, not that she really paid much attention to it. MJ did though. How could she not? There was just something about the other woman that seemed so… Familiar. Achingly so. The way that Spider-Woman held herself, how she spoke, how she acted and reacted was just… Too familiar. Yet MJ couldn’t place her finger on what. 

“It does. She doesn’t really answer her phone really, which is annoying.” The red head shook her head, though her gaze stayed focused on Spider-Woman, who still had half her mask up as well. It didn’t seem like Spider-Woman had noticed. But it also meant that MJ could see her reactions a little better as well. 

Gwen lifted one shoulder awkwardly, her teeth catching her bottom lip to stop herself from hissing at the action. “Y-yeah… That doesn’t sound good. Maybe she has her own stuff going on?” 

MJ hums in thought, still watching Spider-Woman carefully and catching any small expressive traits that flickered on the hero’s face. “Maybe. But every time we ask she shuts us down. She won’t even talk to us.” Spider-Woman’s lips turn down slightly at that, a brief flicker of grief on the hero’s face-

“Ah, yeah that doesn’t sound good. Well-“ Spider-Woman pushes herself to stand up straight once more. “I really should be going now.” The other woman chuckles. “Y’know, crime never stops, and I guess that means I can’t stop either. And before you say anything, I feel a lot better now. Thank you MJ, I mean it.” The masked hero shifts herself once more. 

Again, there’s something about her that twist’s MJ’s heart. The other’s voice, how she acted, how she stood, her voice, the dirty blonde hair that peeked out from under her mask, and that grin-

Oh.

“Well, I gotta swing. Catch you later MJ. Maybe next time I won’t be so injured.” The other woman lifts a hand (a familiar gesture) and turns to leave by the door this time. 

Gwen still wasn’t feeling all that great. The headache was at full force, her limbs ached, her side killed and she was pretty sure that she was going to have to stitch that herself. God she was so tired that if she just closed her eyes she could probably fall asleep while standing up. 

But before she could actually take a step towards the door a hand is grasping her wrist gently, stopping her. “Hey what’s u-”

“Will I be seeing you at band practise tomorrow?” MJ asks, asking softly as if she was aware that Gwen’s head almost seemed to be splitting at the seams. 

“Huh? Yeah yeah, why wouldn’t you?” Gwen mumbles without thinking. 

It’s only the lingering silence that it hit the blonde, at full force almost. Gwen turns, eyes wide behind her mask and her lips slightly parted, her heart in her throat. MJ stares back at her. Her own eyes wide and surprise on her face. MJ stood close to her, still holding her wrist. 

“I-I…” She stammers. This time it seems like she can’t dig herself out of this one. And MJ knows that as well. 

And yet, MJ is silent. Her other hand moving up towards the mask- and Gwen lets her. Why would she stop her? MJ knows. No need to hide it now. Even as the mask if gently tugged off, MJ’s soft fingers brushing over sensitive and bruised skin, until Gwen stares back at MJ, the white mask in the red heads hand. 

“… Oh Gwen.” MJ whispers breathily, her gaze softening, a heartbroken expression on her face and- Gwen can’t look at her. But even as she turns her head away, MJ is stepping even closer and reaching up to tilt the blondes head up to look at her. “Gwen… Why didn’t you tell me, tiger?” 

Gwen clenches her jaw, teeth gritting together because she doesn’t trust herself to speak just yet. But MJ deserves to know why. Of course she does. MJ has done enough waiting, she listened to Gwen’s half attempted lies and- she has every right to know. “Because it would only put you in danger. I couldn’t risk that, MJ.” The hero murmurs. “You see how bad I am right now, I’m lucky that I can heal quicker but- you can’t. I can’t lose anyone else.” 

Gwen’s quiet confession breaks MJ’s heart and she has to stop herself from reaching over to pull her into a tight hug but she didn’t want to make Gwen’s wounds worse. 

“Tiger.” She sighs. Her thumb rubbing over the jut of Gwen’s wrist. “I get it, I do. But your heart is honestly too big for your small self.”

This draws a tired laugh from the blonde. “I’m not that small.” She grumbles. But the sound of her laughter is enough to make MJ relax, but she smirks and shoots Gwen a look. “Fine, okay. But I can’t help it that you’re freakishly tall.” Gwen rolls her eyes. 

“Sure. Now c’mon. You need to rest, tiger. You honestly look like shit.” MJ guides Gwen away from the door. To which the other seems reluctant to leave, but eventually she allows herself to move away. 

“Is that how you talk to a hero?” 

“Mmmm, probably not. But you’re my friend first.” MJ laughs. “Right. Stay here, sit down, I’m grabbing you some clothes but I’m going to check your wounds again beforehand. And then missy, you’re resting. I’m ordering take out and we can watch a film.” And Gwen knows better than to argue with a determined MJ. So with that she nods her head. “Good, now sit.” MJ does her best to gently guide her down into the couch and- god has MJ’s couch always been this comfortable? Maybe not, but Gwen didn’t even care. 

Was every MJ like this?

This… Caring? This amazing, this breath taking and this determined? Probably not, Gwen was sure that her MJ was one in a million. Her MJ was special. 

Gwen watches her go before her eyes drift shut. It only seems like a couple of seconds to her, but it must’ve been longer because MJ is clearing her throat in front of her causing the blondes eyes to flutter open. Taking a couple of seconds for them to focus before seeing the clothes tucked under her arm. 

“Right, you going to sleep is probably a bad idea right now. You’ve got a nasty bruise on your head.” MJ leans down to get a closer look and Gwen has to stop herself from blushing (or so she hopes). “And you’re probably concussed, tiger.”

“With how my head feels like it’s splitting apart, I definitely have a concussion.” Gwen almost groans out. Slowly pushing herself to sit up when MJ stands back up, though before Gwen could take the clothes the other holds it just out of reach. “Hey.”

“Nu uh, I’m not having my clothes get bloodied so soon. I’m pretty sure you’ve reopened your side so lemme have another look.” Gwen rolls her eyes at MJ’s wide grin but caves anyway. 

She knows that she would do anything for MJ. 

“Good.” MJ hums and sits down next to her, clothes resting behind her and she moves to rest the first aid box on her lap- wait when did MJ grab that? She must’ve grabbed it when she grabbed the clothes, that made sense. Though before she could ask MJ was gesturing for her to shift over- to which she does as carefully as she could. 

MJ gently unwraps the bandage around Gwen’s side, yet the blonde doesn’t look down. Instead her gaze stays focused on MJ’s face. Watching as MJ’s eyebrows furrow down in concentration, how her gaze stays locked at the task in front of her and how the tip of her tongue pokes out from the corner of her lips. God MJ was so pretty- something that Gwen couldn’t live up to. Not that Gwen was jealous, she was happy with how she looked, but she could also admire MJ as well. 

“Lucky you tiger, this won’t need stitches as long as you promise to take it easy.” 

Gwen blinks a couple of times before she nods her head slowly. “Doctors orders?” That draws a snort from MJ and her green eyes flicker back up to Gwen. 

“Will you actually listen to them if I said they were?”

“Hmmmm… Yeah. You know I can’t argue with an angry MJ.” 

To that, the red head nods with a confident smirk, moving to clean and rewrap her side. “Good response, tiger. Right. You’re all patched up again. Go get changed and I’ll order food. Pizza sounds good?”

Gwen slowly pushes herself to stand, the action alone seemed to draw more energy then it should- but she stands and heads to MJ’s bathroom to get changed in, clothes under her own arm. It’s not until the door shuts behind her that she gets a proper look of herself and- god she looks like shit. One side of her face was heavily bruised in different shades of red and purple. She didn’t look pretty. Neither did the black eye already forming. Dried blood still clung to her pale skin. 

“Shit…” She hissed under her breath. Raising a hand to poke the bruises before forcing herself to leave it alone. Focusing on cleaning the last few traces of blood from her skin (bruised knuckles, torn skin) before getting changed into MJ’s clothes. And, as predicted, they were too big for herself. Not that she minded. Though she did have to awkwardly roll up the bottom of her jogging bottoms so that she wouldn’t trip. 

Eventually, she makes it back out and spots MJ already on the couch waiting for her, the TV playing something softly. MJ looked up, instantly grinning and patting the spot next to her. “I ordered your favourite by the way… God when was the last time we hung out?”

Gwen hums as she sits down carefully. “We were supposed to hang out two weeks ago but I uh- I couldn’t make it.” MJ listens carefully, nodding along as she spoke. 

“At least I understand why now though. I thought you started to hate me.” MJ jokes. 

“I don’t think I could ever hate you, MJ.” #

“Well, no one can.” The red head winks. Her happy expression immediately disappears into a frown as she turns to Gwen. “Wait. That was the robbery right? The one where you got shot?” Immediately Gwen ducks under MJ’s gaze.

“I uh- I wasn’t shot exactly...” Gwen pauses. “Fine okay, I was shot. But it nicked my arm. That was it. It wasn’t even that bad.” She quickly corrects herself, of course Gwen knew better than to lie to MJ. Especially after today. 

“Hmmmmm… If you say so. But we’ll talk about that later. Right now, my favourite film is on and we’re going to watch it.” MJ’s arm drapes over Gwen’s shoulders, pulling her close to the other girls side and Gwen lets her. Of course she would. She would do anything for MJ.


	4. Chapter 4

If anyone had told Gwen this was how her evening was going to go- then she would’ve called that person a liar. She would’ve asked them if they had hit their head as well, because there was no way in hell that she would’ve told MJ about her identity. 

Though... She didn’t exactly /tell/ MJ, instead the other had worked it out for herself. 

But still, she didn’t think her evening would end up like this, both her and MJ on the couch, the TV playing an old film and half eaten pizza on the coffee table in front of them. 

At the beginning of the evening Gwen had started sitting beside MJ rather happily, but it wasn’t until halfway during the film that MJ reached out. Settling her arm around Gwen’s shoulders and gently tugging her close. It took a little while for Gwen to rearrange herself (she didn’t want to worry the other by reopening her wound now- that and not to bleed all over her) before she was happily leaning against MJ. Eyes half lidded and attention drifting away from film that was on. It didn’t help that MJ’s hand was idly playing with Gwen’s short blonde hair. 

Her fingernails gently scrapped against her scalp, fingers brushing through the shaved side (she still wasn’t over that with Miles) and Gwen couldn’t help but hum faintly. 

“You good there, tiger?” MJ asked softly, voice barely louder than the film. 

“Yeah... I’m just tired I guess. Being Spider-Woman is tiring and I’m just drained.” Gwen mumbled, her words slurring together. That alone draws a small laugh from MJ, her fingers continuing to run through her hair. “Balancing two lives isn’t easy, okay? Especially not when one means you get beat up most of the time.” 

“Then go to sleep, Gwen. It’s not like I’m going anywhere so soon. Or, if you’d rather you can go sleep in my bed?” She offers. 

Gwen shakes her head weakly in response. “I’m not going to take your bed, MJ. I’ll just sleep on the couch.” 

“And undo all my hard work? Nu uh, no way. Super hero or not, you’re resting properly.” 

“MJ, by tomorrow morning I’ll be mainly healed back up. I’m sure a night on the couch won’t kill me.” She grumbles. 

“Gwen.” MJ sounded serious. But Gwen refused to look up at her- because she knew the second that she did she would cave. Gwen did have a weak spot for MJ. “Gwen. Don’t make me use your full name.” MJ nudges the other. 

To which Gwen groans at and lifts her head, turning to face MJ. “Whaaaaaat?” 

“Please? Rest properly for me?” MJ moves her hand to cup Gwen’s face. “I /really/ don’t want you bleeding out again. You scared me enough the first time.” The look that she gives Gwen is hard to ignore, and one that she can’t quite say no too either. Not when MJ is giving her the ‘puppy eye’ expression. 

“Oh for- /fine/. Fine, okay. But you basically twisted my arm in all of this.” 

MJ grins in response. “Mhm sure, whatever you say, tiger. I ‘twisted your arm’ alright.” She tucks a lock of hair behind of Gwen’s ear. 

And for that brief second, Gwen couldn’t help but stare at MJ in a new light. By now the sun had set outside, the blinds closed, the curtains drawn and the only source of light came from the TV in front of them. Which, in Gwen’s opinion, perfectly highlighted MJ’s features. To the soft curve of her eyebrows, to the perfect cheekbones and the soft looking lips, how it perfectly lit MJ’s eyes as well. It was easy for Gwen to lose herself just staring at MJ- and maybe that was just the concussion talking, who knows. 

“-sound okay?” Apparently Gwen wasn’t paying much attention when when MJ was speaking. It took her a few seconds to realise MJ was waiting a response though. 

“Huh? Sorry I- I did t catch that.” 

Thankfully, MJ just smiles playfully and rolls her eyes. “We should probably go to bed if you’re already spacing out so much.” A soft frown creases here features as another thought enters MJ’s head. “Wait, is it a good idea for you to sleep?” 

“I’ll be fine, seriously. I’ve done worse- not that you need to know or worry about it. I’m fine.” But MJ gives her an unimpressed look, one that Gwen doesn’t back down from until the former sighs and nods. 

“Sure. Just, I’m going to grab a drink. Do you need any help getting up or want anything?” 

“I’ll be fine, MJ. Go.” The blonde laughs softly and nudges the other to stand. Which she does and heads into the kitchen, leaving Gwen with her own thoughts. 

God she was lucky to have a friend like MJ...

But Gwen knew she considered MJ more than just a simple friend. She couldn’t tell her that though. Her finding out about Gwen’s part time ‘job’ was enough of a shock for now. And honestly, Gwen couldn’t deal with that right now. That was a ‘problem’ for another day. 

Gritting her teeth, Gwen slowly inched her way forwards on the couch before leaning forwards and forcing herself up to stand. Grunting at the effort, her legs wobble to keep her up right- but her legs don’t give under her weight. And there’s only a mild tugging sensation at her side where the large cut is- but she chooses to ignore it. Some part of her hoping that she hasn’t actually reopened it, before she’s stumbling to MJ’s bedroom. 

The pair had had many sleepovers before Gwen got her powers. They hadn’t had many since the ‘incident’, Gwen just didn’t have the time, and MJ seemed to understand that thankfully. 

But she wasn’t focused on that, instead she was moving to MJ’s room, gently pushing the door open before heading over to the soft double bed. Immediately sitting down and then sinking into the bed with a soft hum. Her head resting on the soft pillow and- /oh/, Gwen could’ve fallen asleep right there and then. With how tired she was, how the aches of todays fight seemed to weigh heavily on her bones as well, it was a wonder she hadn’t fallen asleep earlier. 

Eyes drifting shut as she relaxed, lead on her side and with the covers pulled over her. 

Gwen wasn’t even aware that she had dozed off until she felt the bed shift under her causing the blondes eyes to open. Wincing as she shifted before a gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder. 

“Just me, tiger.” Came MJ’s familiar soft voice, words seeming to flow like honey (god Gwen was tired). “It’s alright, you can go back to sleep.” She murmured as she continued to move until she was laid beside her, the pair now facing each other. 

“Mmm’kay.” Yet Gwen’s eyed fluttered a few times but remained open. Tracing over MJ’s soft features as they laid together, the streetlights outside barely peeking through the blinds. “Thank you for this, MJ.” 

“No problem Gwen. Anytime.” The other girl murmured. “... I know you’re tired but... What happened a few weeks ago? It seemed like you disappeared, both you and Spider-Woman.” To be honest, Gwen knew that this topic was going to come up sooner or later. It was when Gwen had gotten herself stuck in another dimension. It had only been two days in Gwen’s own universe, she had been able to come up with an excuse to where she had gone for her father and her friends, not so much for Spider-Woman. But luckily, nothing bad had happened, the city remained whole and mainly undamaged. 

Though it seemed like Gwen had been silent for too long. MJ had even shifted closer to Gwen now, her arm resting gently on the blondes waist- and yet Gwen was okay with the touch. 

“You seem... Different.” MJ added softly. “Like something happened.” 

“Long story, one you probably won’t believe me for.” Gwen mumbles, stretching out under the covers. Her foot bumping into one of MJ’s impossibly /long/ legs before she’s shifting closer to MJ. 

“Try me.” 

“I warned you.” Gwen’s eyes shut briefly before reopening to stare at the other woman’s face. “I was sucked into another timeline. Where there were other Spider... /People/.” 

Neither of them speak for awhile, MJ in stunned silence where as Gwen was just too tired to properly explain. 

“What? Ho-”

“Dunno the exact specifics, but Kingpin in that world lost his wife and son, long story short he killed that worlds Spider-Man.” She feels MJ’s grip tighten around her waist. And in turn Gwen rests an arm around her too. “Before Miles, the new Spider-Man, stepped in. Other people got sucked into that universe.” A chuckle escaped her lips at the memory of meeting them all. “‘Spider-Ham’, he was pig but had the same powers as me, Spider-Noir, another Spider-Woman and another Spider-Man. I...” Her smiled dimmed. “It was Peter... Obviously not /our/ Peter but... He looked kinda like him.” 

“Oh Gwen.” 

“I’m fine- it’s, I’m okay. It just jarred me for a brief second.” 

MJ’s hand was moving to rub soothing circles against her waist, the action only reminding Gwen about how tired she actually was. 

But she can’t sleep just yet, not when another figure is tugging at her mind. Someone that she needs to mention. 

“And... There was another Mary Jane.” The soothing circles stop suddenly. “She was older. Married that universes previous Spider-Man and... She looked just like you.” Gwen’s gaze flickers between MJ’s bright green eyes, trying to understand just what the other was thinking or feeling. “But she wasn’t you. I didn’t really get to speak to her, apart from when Peter nearly messed up. She sounded like you, acted like you but- she wasn’t you. She didn’t hold the same warmth in your eyes when you smile too long, didn’t have the dimples on your cheeks when you laugh at one of my /terrible/ jokes. She didn’t hold the same feeling of coming home like you do...” Okay, Gwen is speaking too much, but she honestly can’t bring herself to stop. 

It was like all of her emotions came bubbling to the surface. 

Hot, angry, boiling over with a want- no a /need/ to say them. 

She faced every day like it was her last. Like she wouldn’t get to see her father that evening, that she wouldn’t be able to go to school or attend one last band session. Like she wouldn’t be able to see MJ again. But that was the risk that Gwen knowingly took. Being teleported to another dimension wasn’t one of those risks that she counted on. 

Being alive yet stranded with versions of people she knew? Gwen thought that that was somehow worse. 

“... I care about you, MJ.” Gwen whispered a second later, unable to stop the words from spilling out. The constant soothing action of MJ rubbing soft circles on her waist, and just how tired she was, was lulling her back to sleep. So much so her eyes fluttered shut and- just before she slipped into unconsciousness, she heard MJ mutter a response. Not that she properly understood it because with that, she was asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Gwen slowly awoke feeling warm and content- without the need to rush off or jump out of bed, which was a rare occurrence honestly. There was always /something/ happening somewhere that needed her attention- and yet, something was coaxing her to stay right here. 

Humming under her breath, she stretched her tired limbs out slowly while her eyes remained shut. 

But there was something off that she couldn’t quite place her finger on. The lack of her spider senses buzzing at the base of her skull helped keep her relax though. 

It was just... 

She couldn’t figure out what this feeling was. 

The bed was too soft, the covers both felt and smelled different and- 

There was an arm around her waist. 

She wasn’t back in her own bed. 

But she came to that conclusion just as her foot bumped against a warm leg intertwined with her own. Blue eyes snapped, head lifting up a fraction to see the content expression on a certain Mary-Jane’s face. The red heads eyes were half lidded, the corner of her lips pulled up just enough and there was a slight affectionate crinkle between her eyebrows. 

“Morning Gwen, or well, afternoon I guess.” MJ hummed, her arm still placed delicately over the hero’s toned waist. But all Gwen does is groan softly and let her head thump back into the pillows. 

“G’mornin’...” She grumbled, letting herself relax and take slightly deeper breaths now that she figured out what felt ‘off’. It wasn’t anything bad of course... Just, surprising. It’s only then that her brain kicks in that her response wasn’t exactly the best- she had just woken up after all. Though seeing as MJ had tended to her injuries, fed her and let her stay the night- maybe she should reply properly. “How long have you been awake?” Gwen added, raising a hand to rub her eyes roughly as she now shifted ever so slightly to lie on her back. 

The action did cause her face to scrunch up a little at her bodies aching protests. Being thrown into a dumpster was something she definitely wouldn’t recommend. 

MJ’s arm shifted a little as Gwen moved, though not retreating back to its owner, instead it stayed around Gwen as if to keep her close. 

“About an hour.” 

Gwen’s hand falls away and she turns her head to look at her. Surprise and shock on her face. “An hour?! Ugh- why didn’t you wake me, MJ?” 

“Relax tiger.” MJ moves herself this time, using her free arm to prop herself up on her elbow with her head resting on her hand. A soft smile directed down at Gwen. “I didn’t have plans today. And you certainly looked like you needed the rest.” 

“Rude.” MJ just rolls her eyes in response. “But I appreciate it. Thanks. I should be pretty much all healed up now.” Gwen points out. 

“The bruises on your face do look less noticeable now.” MJ agrees. Moving the hand that had been resting on Gwen’s waist to trace her fingers over Gwen’s cheekbone. “Your eye looks less swollen too.” Gwen has to fight the blush threatening to stain her cheeks. 

“The one perk with being Ghost-Spider. Quick healing.” Gwen shrugs one shoulder loosely as a matter of fact, but by the slight narrow of MJ’s eyes, her lips pressing into a line and worry crossing her features- it was the wrong thing to say. 

Especially with the lapse of silence between them. “I can’t believe I never noticed it before.” MJ’s fingers still ghost over her skin. “You get hurt so often- and I /never/ realised.” 

“MJ-“

“I probably /yelled/ at you for being late to practise and you were hurt, Gwen.” The way she speaks makes Gwen’s heart twist painfully in her chest. “I always knew something was off and I never asked, I- I’m so /dumb/.” MJ pulls herself away, hand withdrawing as if the slight bit of pressure to Gwen’s healing skin would break her. MJ is sitting up now, still looking down at the injured hero but her gaze doesn’t meet hers. “How many times has this happened? That you’ve come back barely in one piece for me to yell at you for being /late/ to a band practise?” The red head runs a hand through her hair worriedly. 

“Mary-Jane.” Gwen’s voice is level and calm despite her friends near breakdown. “Hey, look at me.” She forces herself to sit up, biting back a small cry of pain as her side protests at the action, but she catches MJ’s hand and pulls it closer to herself. “Listen, I’m okay.” 

“Gwen- you were /bleeding/ out last night. I didn’t know if I could stop it and-“ 

“But I’m here, I’m right here MJ, you can’t get rid of me that easily.” 

“You could’ve /died/ Gwen.”

“But I didn’t.” And then she did something incredible brave, or incredibly stupid. She places MJ’s hand on the middle her chest, just under her collarbones. 

She felt MJ tense up under her hand, immediately trying to pull her hand away- and yet Gwen kept a steady grip on her wrist, keeping her hand in place. 

“Feel that? I’m still alive, MJ. I’m still here. Because of /you/. You helped me.” 

And for a moment, MJ can only stare at her hand on Gwen’s chest (something Gwen hadn’t really thought about until she had done it- a faint blush already beginning to already spread up her neck to her cheeks and to the tip of her ears) in silence. Eventually, bright green eyes flickered up and something inside of MJ breaks before she’s leaning forwards to hug Gwen tightly. 

“Sorry Gwen.” MJ mumbles into her hair, holding Gwen close and keeping the blondes head tucked against MJ’s shoulder. “It’s... it’s easy to forget that you’re human too. That Ghost-Spider is human. You never showed it- your injuries I mean. And I just... I never thought about it. It’s easy to believe that you’re invincible.” Her words are whispered softly yet with a firm undertone. “I won’t do that again.” 

And it’s with that promise that Gwen sighs shakily, shoulders slumping and her own arms wrap around MJ’s waist. “Trust me, it’s easily done. I forget I’m not invincible most days.” She moves to tuck her head under MJ’s chin, and the other girl leans into it. “After a day or so I’ve mostly healed up though, one of the other perks I have from being bitten by a radioactive spider.” 

“Well that’s good then... Doesn’t mean that I’m not going to check your side though.” MJ laughs softly before pulling away, moving a hand to rub her eyes roughly. “Thank you... For earlier I mean. I don’t think it really hit that you risk yourself every day.” A soft smile tugs on her lips, and it’s one that Gwen can’t help but return. 

“No problem MJ.” 

“Now come on, pull up the side of your shirt so I can check you didn’t reopen your wound.” To which Gwen rolled her eyes half heartedly but allowed MJ to fuss over her. 

It was nice...

**** 

After ensuring that Gwen’s action of sitting up didn’t result in her bleeding out everywhere again- MJ had persuaded the injured hero to take it easy. And the only way to take it easy was to stay laying in bed together. 

Gwen however, had been able to persuade MJ into letting them relax on the couch instead. It wasn’t much, but she didn’t feel as lazy now that she had been able to move out of the bed. Though she wasn’t complaining when MJ had helped her to the couch- honestly Gwen didn’t need the help but she didn’t have the heart to tell MJ otherwise. It was a nice gesture after all. 

But that’s where they found themselves currently, sat on the couch with Gwen sat beside MJ- now dressed in loose fitting jogging bottoms and a short sleeved shirt, with the other girl pressed against her side. MJ had an arm wrapped around her shoulders, a hand one more tangled though blonde locks. Short fingernails gently scratching against the shaved part of Gwen’s head as they watched something on the TV. 

It was peaceful, quiet and relaxing- until she heard MJ hum beside her, catching Gwen’s attention. 

“Gwen?” 

“Hmm?” Gwen tilts her head a little to get a better look at MJ. 

“You were saying a... a lot of stuff last night, but you were so tired and, well did you mean it?” 

And for a second, Gwen has to wrack her memory for what MJ meant because she did have a point, Gwen had been /exhausted/. 

“About the whole alternate dimension stuff? I wish I wasn’t but yeah. It was really confusing at first.” Something happens on the screen in front of them and Gwen glances over, missing the change of MJ’s expression. “And... Weird to see alternate versions of yourself. Not another me exactly but- you get what I mean. Actually /like/ me.” 

“For someone so smart, you do overlook things don’t you?” MJ asks with a small chuckle, causing Gwen to flush in embarrassment and turn her head once more to look up to her. 

“Well- what did you mean then?” 

“Gwen seriously?” MJ shifts to sit up now. Clearly this topic was serious. “Do you not remember?” 

“Obviously not otherwise I would’ve said it by no-“ But MJ cuts her off before Gwen could continue.

“I like you Gwen. Like, more as a friend.” She takes a shaky breath. “I have for awhile. I just ever knew how to say it and then you were so distant after Peter, you never turned up on time for practise and I thought it was /me/. But it wasn’t. And- and I guess last night, patching you up, hearing where you had gone... I can’t beat to lose you. Not now. If you don’t like me the same way that’s fine- but you need to know.” 

Gwen is stunned into silence, staring wide eye up at the red head. 

“Nothing will change between us if you don’t,” MJ back peddles quickly. “we’ll still be friends and band mates- but you can also come to me when you need a place to hide or heal up.” 

“MJ I-“ 

As fate would have it, an explosion can be heard from down the street and Gwen immediately tenses, head snapping to the window that she had been eyeing up the previous night. Screams could be heard as well. Bright blue eyes flicker down to MJ to see her with a fake smile already on her lips. 

“Go get ‘em tiger.” And despite how much Gwen doesn’t want to leave, to have one day to herself, to answer MJ’s confession, to cradle her face and promise that she felt the same- she couldn’t. She has a city to protect. 

Gwen is already moving to jump over the back of the couch, being careful not to disturb MJ too much, before she’s hurrying back into MJ’s room. Her suit had been cleaned as much as it could be last night, there was still some spattering of red on the white parts of her suit- but it would have to do. Hopefully, it would be a short fight today. 

Within a few seconds she was changed, hurrying back to the window with her mask on but stopped on the bridge of her nose- similar to when MJ had been able to guess who she was. Gwen was just propping the window open when she felt a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to glance back over to MJ.

“You’ll come back yeah?” The question itself isn’t anything big, but the nervous and worried expression causes her heart to twist painfully in her chest. 

“Of course, MJ. And... I like you too. I always have.” Her own grin is a little crooked- yet she doesn’t care. Especially not when MJ’s face lights up in response, a blush staining freckled cheeks and- 

Gwen is being tugged forwards by the collar of her hood. Stumbling and her mouth opening to ask a question to only be cut off with MJ’s lips against her own. Again, she tenses for a brief second before relaxing. Gloved hands come to rest on MJ’s waist. The kiss itself was a little clumsy- teeth clacking and their noses bumping together until /finally/ they find their rhythm and Gwen leans into it. Eyes drifting shut and she sighs shakily through her nose. Butterflies in her stomach and she can’t help but cling to MJ- not wanting this to end anytime soon.

This. 

This was everything. 

MJ gently nudges her back, and Gwen follows without any complaint until MJ breaks from the kiss, the back of her legs bumping against the windowsill. Her lips slightly red, matching her cheeks but there’s a mischievous glint to those green eyes (her own lips are probably just as red). 

“Stay safe?” MJ’s lips quirk up at her question. 

“Always.” 

“Bullshit, but sure. Come back to me yeah?” 

“Of course.” And Gwen means it. Of course she does. With how lips tingled from that single kiss is probably a worrying thought with how MJ has her wrapped around her finger already. “In one piece as well.” MJ directs Gwen to sit on the windowsill and- god the lighting on MJ’s face is perfect, highlighting it amazingly and- the mischievous glint in her eyes darken almost. The hands that had been on Gwen’s shoulders move up to gently tug down the bottom of her mask (not before pressing one last lingering kiss) to cover her face again. 

“You better. Now,” MJ pauses, Gwen’s spider senses tingling slightly but she doesn’t focus on it. “go get ‘em, babe.” The red head gently pushes the blonde and Gwen tumbles out the apartment. Her reflexes are quick, turning and immediately shooting her web to the nearest building, a grin tugging on her lips despite the situation she was about to go face when all she wanted to do was stay curled up with MJ. 

Because honestly, falling from a building never scared her. She always stopped herself from falling too far. 

But falling for Mary-Jane Watson was something she didn’t want to stop. Not when she had her arms to fall into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all enjoy! Honestly I love these two so goddamn much that I /had/ to write about them.
> 
> I’m a little unsure on where to take it from here, and I feel like this is a perfect place to end this shirt fic- but that doesn’t rule out that maybe in the future I’ll write about them again! ;) 
> 
> Again thank you so much, stay safe!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️


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